README

The dataset contains a typological catalogue of archaeological small finds of an ancient device known as a "bone rule" or "bone ruler" or “bone spatula,” together with scaled drawing and full metadata for each item in the catalogue. The ancient device has been identified as some type of scribal tool. 

The data paper describing  collection methods and dataset will be found in William A. Johnson "Typological Catalogue of the ancient Roman Scribal Tool Known as a Bone Rule," Journal of Open Archaeology Data 2023. The dataset is meant to accompany the analysis and discussion in William A. Johnson, “Scribal Tools of the Trade: Bone Rules, Dividers, and Lamps as Writing Aids,” Segno e Testo 2023. 

File 01 PDF Bone_Rules_Catalogue.pdf is the best starting point for a conspectus of the dataset. 
File 02 CSV Catalogue_Proper.tab is the best starting point for data analysis.

See below for a description of all files with their contents and attributes.

Dataset description

Object name
catalogue/
1.	“01 PDF Bone_Rules_Catalogue.pdf” (2.1 MB)
Aggregate PDF catalogue of known specimens of bone rules, with find spot, measurements, all known details, and thumbnails. This is the best file from which to get a conspectus of the dataset. Includes bibliography. Article with discussion and research results: William A. Johnson, "Scribal Tools of the Trade: Bone Rules, Dividers, and Lamps as Writing Aids," Segno e Testo, 2023. Note that, following the catalogue proper, is a list and brief discussion of items claimed as bone rules or associated with bone rules that are probably or certainly some other object. At the end of the catalogue is the bibliography.

2.	“02 CSV Catalogue_Proper.tab” (39.9 KB)
- CSV file of the catalogue proper
- Abbreviations and terms: 
"c."=circa,
"n/a"=not available,
“[138+]”=partial length of 138,
"incertum"=Roman town unknown or uncertain
"intact"=rule intact over its length or nearly so -
- Fields: 
"Typological Item Number", 
"Find Spot, Country", 
"Roman Town, Province", 
"Length (mm)",
"Blade Length",	
"Intact/Partial", 
"Width (mm)", 
"Thickness (mm)", 
"Shape and angles", 
"Surfaces", 
"Context", 
"Date", 
"Link to drawing", 
"Notes"

3.	“03 CSV Typology.tab “(0.8 KB)
-	CSV file of the typology
-	Fields: 
"Type", 
"Subtype (primary - normative)", 
"Subtype (secondary - aberrant)" 

4.	“04 PDF Other_Bone_Objects.pdf” (93.2 KB)
-	PDF file, excerpted from the main catalogue, of other bone objects (a list and brief discussion of items claimed as bone rules or associated with bone rules that are probably or certainly some other object)
5.	“05 PDF Bibliography.pdf” (115.6 KB)

-	PDF file, excerpted from the main catalogue, containing the bibliography as a free-standing file


drawings/
Each of the 66 files below contains a hi-resolution drawing to scale (artist: Karen Parker) of the bone rule item and full metadata. The metadata for each file includes these elements: typological ID; modern place name for excavation or discovery; name of ancient Roman province; date; inventory number and museum/archive location; reference(s); basis for date; source for the drawing.

1.	I.A.01_f.jpg (63.1 KB)
2.	I.A.02_f.jpg (50.3 KB)
3.	I.A.03_f.jpg (46.8 KB)
4.	I.A.04_f.jpg (53.4 KB)
5.	I.A.05_f.jpg (53.2 KB)
6.	I.A.06_f.jpg (56.1 KB)
7.	I.A.07_f.jpg (47.9 KB)
8.	I.A.08_f.jpg (51.8 KB)
9.	I.A.09_f.jpg (55.0 KB)
10.	I.A.10_f.jpg (42.7 KB)
11.	I.A.11_f.jpg (39.9 KB)
12.	I.A.12_f.jpg (32.5 KB)
13.	I.A.13_f.jpg (32.9 KB)
14.	I.A.14_f.jpg (53.2 KB)
15.	I.A.15_f.jpg (33.6 KB)
16.	I.A.16_f.jpg (123.6 KB)
17.	I.A.17_f.jpg (127.7 KB)
18.	I.A.18_f2.jpg (166.1 KB)
19.	I.B.01_f.jpg (63.9 KB)
20.	I.B.02_f.jpg (47.1 KB)
21.	I.B.03_f.jpg (44.0 KB)
22.	I.B.04_f-1.jpg (36.5 KB)
23.	I.B.05_f.jpg (55.6 KB)
24.	I.B.06_f.jpg (37.5 KB)
25.	II.A.01_f.jpg (65.1 KB)
26.	II.A.02_f.jpg (66.9 KB)
27.	II.A.03_f.jpg (77.6 KB)
28.	II.A.04_f.jpg (50.7 KB)
29.	II.A.05_f.jpg (58.9 KB)
30.	II.A.06_f.jpg (68.3 KB)
31.	II.A.07_f.jpg (70.1 KB)
32.	II.A.08_f.jpg (64.1 KB)
33.	II.A.09_f.jpg (65.1 KB)
34.	II.A.10_f.jpg (67.2 KB)
35.	II.A.11_f.jpg (61.7 KB)
36.	II.A.12_f.jpg (66.8 KB)
37.	II.A.13_f.jpg (66.1 KB)
38.	II.A.14_f.jpg (62.5 KB)
39.	II.A.15_f-1.jpg (60.3 KB)
40.	II.A.16_f.jpg (26.3 KB)
41.	II.A.17_f.jpg (35.2 KB)
42.	II.A.18_f.jpg (27.3 KB)
43.	II.B.01_f.jpg (63.1 KB)
44.	II.B.02_f.jpg (66.0 KB)
45.	II.B.03_f.jpg (46.4 KB)
46.	II.B.04_f.jpg (62.4 KB)
47.	II.B.05_no_image.jpg (30.0 KB)
48.	II.B.06_f.jpg (35.2 KB)
49.	III.A.01_f.jpg (67.8 KB)
50.	III.A.02_f.jpg (50.5 KB)
51.	III.A.03_f.jpg (53.3 KB)
52.	III.A.04_f.jpg (53.5 KB)
53.	III.A.05_f.jpg (54.3 KB)
54.	III.A.06_f.jpg (53.5 KB)
55.	III.A.07_f.jpg (57.6 KB)
56.	III.A.08_f.jpg (49.1 KB)
57.	III.A.09_f.jpg (43.5 KB)
58.	II.A.10_no_image.jpg (57.5 KB)
59.	III.A.11_f.jpg (43.8 KB)
60.	III.A.12_f.jpg (29.7 KB)
61.	III.A.13_f.jpg (31.2 KB)
62.	III.A.14_f.jpg (44.2 KB)
63.	III.A.15_f.jpg (47.0 KB)
64.	III.A.16_f.jpg (55.2 KB)
65.	III.B.01_f.jpg (59.3 KB)
66.	II1.B.02_f.jpg (52.2 KB)

